The Longest Night (2009)

The Longest Night, by Marion Dane Bauer, illustrated by Ted Lewin (2009)

“The snow lies deep.

The night is long and long.

The stars are ice, the moon a frost,

and all the world is still.”

So opens this quiet, magical celebration of the winter solstice. Bauer and Lewin match prose and paintings in a luminous portrayal of the long, cold night and animals awaiting the return of the sun. The wind is the wise one, “the bitter wind” who knows what the animals do not. Crow, “the night-dark crow” is the first to boast that he is the one, the one to bring back the sun, using his strong wings to reach the sun, his strong beak to poke him awake. “Not you,” sighs the wind. “Not you.” And so Wind denies “the mighty moose” with “antlers strong enough to scoop up the sun and bring it home” and the “clever fox” with a keen nose to find the sun’s hiding spot. When small Chickadee asks who will bring back the sun, Wind says, “You … only you.” The larger animals jeer, yet Chickadee does “what chickadees do best.” She sings her ”dee-dee-dee,” … and the sun smiles.

This is the essence of an Everybody book, a picture book to be enjoyed by all ages. On the surface, young children will love the repitition of the wind’s “sha” calls and the animals’ boasts. Older children and adults will admire Lewin’s realistic depictions of the night world beneath a full moon’s glow. They will find the deeper meaning in the themes of darkness and light, that we need both in our world, for they reflect one another. I love the repetitious language: “long and long”, “moose, the mighty moose”, “fox, the clever fox” which lends emphasis to important points. Lewin’s paintings are amazing in their detail and in the feelings they generate: of warmth despite the coldness of winter and night; of the fox’s face which looks clever and sly; of the sleeping bear, which could almost be a dark jumble of forested boulders, and the “velvet mice” curled together beneath the bear’s shadow. I read this book every winter solstice, share it with family and friends and think about the comfort of long winter nights to read and think and write, cuddle up by a fire, and wait for spring. ( )

Cute book but unsure of the purpose behind the book. Beautiful imagery and descriptive words. ( )

There is a realistic artistic interpretation in this book of the animals. The illustrations are Really beautiful. It is about a cold snowy night where all the animals are trying to figure out what they can use in order to get the sun to rise the wind keeps telling the animals that they do not have the power to raise the sun. However, the Chickadee is the only one who is able to raise the sun with the song. This book can be for students at a 2nd grade level. ( )

"The Longest Night" is a quiet melody that pays homage to the littlest of heroes. It's a cold, cold winter, a time when "cold and dark now rule." Those of the forest worry that the sun will not return. A crow, a moose and a fox brag that they can bring back the sun. One by one each call out, and one by one, each fail. Who will bring back the sun?

Marion's poetic text sings, evoking the rhythms found in the sights and sounds of nature's winter. Reflecting the traditional motif in ancient storytelling, the smallest hero is chosen by the wind: "'You," says the wind. "Only you." No one believes this little hero can bring back the sun. Somehow, this reluctant hero must find the courage to sing back the sun.

Ted Lewin uses watercolor masterfully to bring dimension and wonder to the story. Reflecting winter in the forest, he uses only three colors : blue, brown, and a special shade of green. Until, of course, the sun smiles, and then the final three pages light up - literally.

This book is an exceptional read aloud, especially for a cold winter's night! ( )

Snow and ice have fallen on the land, every animal wants the sun to rise. Crow, moose, and fox all try to make the sun rise, but they are not able. Only the singing of the chickadee can make the sun rise. ( )